Cheesy Baked Spaghetti

This is one of my family's all-time favorite meals.  When my daughter came home for Christmas during her first year of college, she--of course--was only here for a couple of weeks--and Cheesy Baked Spaghetti was on the list of requested dinners while she was here.  We've loved this recipe for years, and it's now kind of the definition of "comfort food" around here.

Most of the time, I prefer using freeze-dried sausage to make this meal anyway because it's so much faster and easier (and less messy) than cooking up a pound of sausage.  So I really only needed one other swap to make this recipe entirely pantry-friendly.  We really couldn't even tell the difference between this swapped-out recipe and the original.  And that's perfect.

I have to say, too, that having a delicious dish like this one just "waiting" in the pantry is pretty awesome.  You're going to love this.

CHEESY BAKED SPAGHETTI 

PREP TIME:  15 minutes
COOK TIME:  30-35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• two 14.5-oz. cans of diced tomatoes, undrained (I prefer petite diced)
• 1/4 c. dried minced onion
• one 2.25-oz. can sliced olives
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 - 1  1/2 c. freeze-dried sausage (or you could use freeze-dried beef instead)
• 12-16 oz. spaghetti, cooked and drained
• 2 c. freeze-dried shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1/4 c. water
• grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Rehydrate the sausage and cheese according to package directions.  (Suggested rehydration time for cheese is 2 hours.)  In a large bowl, stir together tomatoes, onion, olives, and oregano.  Place half the cooked spaghetti in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Spread half the meat-vegetable mixture on top.  Sprinkle half the cheddar cheese on top.  Repeat the layers.  In a bowl, mix the soup and water until smooth.  Spread on top of the last cheese layer, being careful to cover all the spaghetti pieces so they don't dry out in the oven.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.

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Creamy Cracked Wheat Cereal

Cracked wheat cereal is a nice alternative to oatmeal for breakfast, and wheat has lots of health benefits.  This recipe is made with some nice, tasty additions to plain old wheat, too.

I had never cracked wheat before I tried this recipe.  It was easier than I thought!  You can buy cracked wheat, but if you have wheat berries, you can make your own cracked wheat.  It's easy.  I'll tell you how.  "Cracked" wheat is just broken down wheat berries.

I suggest cracking the wheat for this recipe ahead of time.  Maybe that's just because I'm not a morning person.  Especially a loudness-in-the-morning person.

Here's how to crack wheat.  Just put 1/4 c. wheat berries in a blender and process using the ice crush setting.  It's pretty loud, but it only takes about 15 seconds.  The wheat berries will get cut up in pieces.  The only trick is that if you do more than about 1/4 c. at a time it doesn't work very well, so you need to just repeat the process.  But that's pretty easy!

CREAMY CRACKED WHEAT CEREAL

PREP TIME:  5 minutes
COOK TIME:  25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2  1/4 c. water
• 1 c. cracked wheat
• 3 Tbsp. powdered milk
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• optional:  fruit and/or nuts

DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Turn heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.  Stir every 6-7 minutes.  Serve with fruit or nuts if desired.  Serves about 4-6. 

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Pantry-Friendly Mini Omelets (microwave)

I've never been a breakfast-making type of person.  Probably because I'm not really a morning person.  Get up, eat.  Good enough.  Cereal, fruit, yogurt.  It's all ready to go without much time or effort.

I recently came across a few items that inspired me to try out a more protein-filled breakfast in keeping with my "without much time or effort" requirement.  So, of course, I wanted to see if I could make it pantry-friendly, too!

I'm honestly not a fan of scrambled eggs UNLESS they're served with enough other ingredients to hide the taste of the eggs.  So this vegetable-filled, pantry-friendly, microwave omelet is just the thing.  When you put pantry-friendly (dried) ingredients together with microwave cooking, it's super fast, too.  And that's just my thing, too.

I made this omelet using the Ceramic Egg Cooker from Pampered Chef, and I loved it!  If you don't have one, you can--aside from ordering one at that link--use a large ceramic mug or a cereal bowl.  They aren't covered like the Egg Cooker is, so I imagine cooking times would vary.

This recipe is a one-egg omelet for one.  Double it for a two-egg omelet if you like, and of course multiply it for however many people you want to feed.

PANTRY-FRIENDLY MINI OMELETS (MICROWAVE)

PREP TIME:  8 minutes
COOK TIME:  1-2 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 6 Tbsp. water
• 2 Tbsp. freeze-dried scrambled egg (That brand is the best I've tried.)
• dash salt
• 1 Tbsp. freeze-dried spinach
• 1 tsp. dried onion (I like the ultra small, thin dices of dried onion here, but you can buy dried minced onion at your local grocery store if you prefer.)
• 1 Tbsp. freeze-dried cheddar cheese (I like this brand; or you could use colby cheese available here.)
• 1 Tbsp. undrained diced tomatoes from a can

DIRECTIONS
Stir all ingredients together in a Ceramic Egg Cooker or a bowl (or large mug).  Let sit 5 minutes to partially hydrate the dried foods.  Stir again, then microwave 1 minute or 1 minute 10 seconds.  (If using a bowl or mug, cooking times will vary because they are not covered like the Ceramic Egg Cooker, so adjust cooking time as needed.)

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Green Bean Onion Casserole

This is that classic recipe with one little pantry-friendly twist.  My family really loves this casserole, and my swap went completely unnoticed!  So the great news here is that this dish can be on-hand in my pantry any time.

GREEN BEAN ONION CASSEROLE

PREP TIME:  5 minutes
COOK TIME:  35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• equivalent 3/4 c. milk mixed from powdered milk (I use the Nido brand from Nestle because I like the taste much better than the usual nonfat powdered milk--or you could also use one of the fresh milk substitutions listed here)
• 1  1/3 c. french fried onions, divided
• 2 cans green beans, drained

DIRECTIONS

Mix soup and reconstituted milk with a whisk in an 8x8 pan.  Stir in beans and 2/3 c. onions.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Top with remaining 2/3 c. onions and bake an additional 5 minutes.

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Fruity Cream Salad

You're going to love this fruit salad!  It uses both canned and freeze-dried fruit along with a few other pantry-friendly ingredients, so it can be your go-to fruit salad in a pinch. 

I am putting together a 21-Day Pantry-Friendly Meal Plan which I will share with you in November!  I'm finding recipes (and sharing them here at the blog) that use only ingredients which store well in a pantry.  This is great in case of emergency (big storm, COVID-19 panic-buying) but also fantastic to have on hand just in case (totally forgot about the potluck tonight).

I wanted to incorporate plenty of fruits and vegetables in my Plan, and I discovered I was a little short on fruit recipes that are pantry-friendly.  I created this recipe from two others with some pantry-friendly substitutions.  And I have to say, I love it.  There is such a wide variety of fruit in this creamy mixture that it really hits the spot.

FRUITY CREAM SALAD

PREP TIME:  15 minutes
REFRIGERATION TIME:  at least 2 hours

INGREDIENTS

• 15 oz. fruit cocktail, drained
• 8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2 c. freeze-dried raspberries (I like these, but you can also get them here and here.)*
• 1/2 c. freeze-dried strawberry slices (I like these, but you can also get them here and here.)*
• 21 oz. cherry pie filling 
• 1 envelope Dream Whip mix
• 12 oz. evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla (optional; or try almond flavoring)

DIRECTIONS

Combine the evaporated milk, Dream Whip, and vanilla in a large salad bowl.  Whip with a mixer on high speed for 5 minutes or until thickened.  Fold in all the fruit until well-combined.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours to give the freeze-dried fruit time to soften. 

*When comparing freeze-dried fruit, the freeze-drying methods will vary and will have an effect on flavor, so see which you like best.  When comparing prices, don't forget that ThriveLife has a monthly delivery special which saves you 15%.  (See the sidebar.)  I am not a ThriveLife rep--I use it a lot and love it.

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.

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Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

This is one of my favorite homemade breads.  Its rustic nature reminds me a little of a bread you might get in an Italian restaurant, served with olive oil for dipping.

ROSEMARY OLIVE OIL BREAD

PREP TIME:  2 hours
COOK TIME:  30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 packet yeast (or 2  1/4 tsp.)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1  1/4 c. warm water
• 1/2 tsp. salt + additional salt
• 2-3 tsp. dried rosemary  (original recipe:  2 Tbsp. fresh snipped rosemary)
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil + additional olive oil
• 3  1/2 c. flour

DIRECTIONS

In a large mixer bowl, mix together the yeast, sugar, and water.  Let sit 10 minutes to become bubbly.  Stir in 1/2 tsp. salt, rosemary, 3 Tbsp. olive oil, and flour.  Mix well.  Cover and let rise in warm place for 1 hour.  Roll into a ball (using a floured surface, if needed) and place on a baking sheet covered with a foil sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Let sit 20 minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  Drizzle with additional olive oil and sprinkle with additional salt.  Optional: sprinkle with additional rosemary.  Let cool somewhat before slicing.

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Hooray!  This post was a featured post here:

Hawaiian Haystacks

I originally got this recipe from my grandmother.  So I've loved this recipe for as long as I can remember.  A few years ago I made some changes to the original ingredients just for ease and convenience, so just a couple more changes make this delicious meal entirely pantry-friendly!

This is one of those recipes that always seemed to me a strange combination of ingredients, but you wouldn't believe how delicious it is.  Try it out!

HAWAIIAN HAYSTACKS

PREP TIME:  10-15 minutes
COOK TIME:  15-20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 3 c. uncooked rice
• 4 chicken gravy mix packets
• 4 c. cold water
• 1  1/2 c. freeze-dried chicken or two 12-oz. cans of chicken breast chunks, drained (For a while now, I've used freeze-dried every time I make this because it's so easy!)  (original recipe:  2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped)
• 1/4 c. freeze-dried green onions (I love these things!  SO convenient!  I use them all the time in lots of recipes.)  (original recipe:  1/4 c. sliced green onions)
• 1 15-oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed (original recipe:  2 chopped tomatoes)
• freeze-dried grated cheese (I love this stuff--it's good even straight out of the can before rehydrating!)
• 1 bag chow mein noodles (I prefer rice noodles; pictured)
• 1 can pineapple tidbits
• slivered almonds

DIRECTIONS

Rehydrate the freeze-dried cheese according to package directions.  (Suggested on the package:  refrigerate for 2 hours before using.)  If using freeze-dried chicken, rehydrate it.  Otherwise, drain the cans of chicken.  Cook the rice according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, whisk the gravy mixes with the water.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often, then simmer on low 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Add green onions and chicken, then cover with a lid to keep warm.  To make the haystacks, pile rice, cheese, chicken gravy, tomatoes, pineapple, almonds, and chow mein (or rice) noodles.    

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Applesauce Oat Muffins

I love the oats in these tasty muffins because they feel so hearty!  I especially love them warm.

I was so happy to find that the two substitutions I made to this recipe to make them pantry-friendly still left them delicious.

And I admit:  Anything sweetened with brown sugar is my favorite.

APPLESAUCE OAT MUFFINS

PREP TIME:  15 minutes
COOK TIME:  16-18 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1  1/2 c. quick oats
• 1  1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 c. fresh milk substitute such as powdered or shelf-stable or evaporated (original recipe:  1/2 c. milk)
• 3 Tbsp. oil
• powdered egg, reconstituted to make 1 egg (original recipe:  1 egg)

DIRECTIONS

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (first 7 ingredients listed).  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (last 4 ingredients listed) until smooth.  Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir together just until combined.  Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray, then divide batter among them.  Bake at 400 degrees for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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Chocolate-Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

These classic no-bake cookies are entirely pantry-friendly!  All the ingredients are things you can have on hand in your pantry.  Since they're mostly oats, this is a fairly hearty treat, too.

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER NO-BAKE COOKIES

PREP TIME:  15 minutes
CHILL TIME:  2 hours

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 c. butter-flavor Crisco  (original recipe:  margarine)
• 1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
• 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 1 c. peanuts (optional)
• 2  1/2 c. quick oats

DIRECTIONS

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter-flavor Crisco.  Whisk in cocoa, then bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk.  Whisk in the peanut butter.  Stir in the peanuts and oats.  Drop by tablespoons onto waxed paper.  Chill 2 hours.

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Pantry Chicken Fricassee over Mashed Potatoes

If you're new to fricassee like I was, fricassee is basically meat in a cream sauce.  It's originally French, but there are Cajun and Mexican and all sorts of varieties of the same idea.

This particular fricassee recipe, however, is a very easy, pantry-friendly version, so it's not a traditional fricassee.  I can tell you, though, that it's both simple and tasty.  And that counts for a lot!

I love the herbs in this dish!  It actually gives it a bit of a green tint, but I'll tell you--seconds will be had by all.

PANTRY CHICKEN FRICASSEE OVER MASHED POTATOES

PREP TIME:  15 minutes
COOK TIME:  5-10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 6 c. water
• 1/2 c. whole powdered milk 
• 1/2 c. dry creamer (coffee creamer)
• 1/2 c. corn starch
• 2 Tbsp. chicken bouillon
• 1 Tbsp. dried butter powder (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 c. dried minced onion
• 2 c. freeze-dried chopped chicken (rehydrated according to package directions) or 2  12-oz. cans chicken breast chunks, drained
• potato flakes, enough to make 8 servings of mashed potatoes

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot over low heat, whisk together water, powdered milk, creamer, corn starch, and bouillon until well-mixed.  Turn heat up to medium-high.  Add butter powder, parsley, thyme, poultry seasoning, salt, and minced onion.  Whisk well.  Bring to a boil, stirring often.  When it boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring often.  Add *chicken.  Prepare potato flakes according to package directions.  Serve the chicken fricassee over the mashed potatoes. 

*You can see in the photo that I used the canned chicken breast this time.  I actually didn't like the flavor of it in this recipe.  I'll use freeze-dried from now on.

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Freeze-Dried Fruit Smoothies (two!)

Especially in the summer, I love a good smoothie for breakfast.  I would like to have this capability in an emergency, too, without access to all the fresh fruits and yogurt I'm used to.  So this sent me on a quest:

Can I make a healthy, tasty smoothie using only ingredients I can store in my pantry?

Smoothies often have a combination of frozen fruit and fresh fruit in addition to yogurt and some kind of liquid (like milk or juice).  Since my goal is to make this smoothie pantry-friendly--in other words, not dependent on a refrigerator or freezer--I've got a couple of creative ideas thrown into this smoothie.

I've tasted freeze-dried fruit (just plain) and the freeze-dried yogurt from Thrive Live before, and it's quite good without even being rehydrated.  So I knew that was going to be my best source for making a smoothie using just freeze-dried ingredients.  (By the way, I'm not affiliated with Thrive Life beyond just being a happy customer.  I do use their Refer-a-Friend links in some of my posts here, and if you always use that link to order, you can get 15% off your Monthly Delivery Service.  I personally love that service because there's no minimum and I can skip months if I want.)

I came up with two different fruit smoothies using freeze-dried fruit.  Canned fruit is also a great option for a pantry-friendly smoothie, and one of these smoothies uses both.  Give them a try, and don't be afraid to mix things up a bit for variety and lots of flavor.

Both of these smoothie recipes don't use any frozen fruit, so they may be thinner than you are accustomed to.  If you want to thicken either of these smoothies, you can add:

• protein powder
• a small amount of cooked and cooled cream of wheat cereal
• navy beans, mashed
• tapioca
• a small amount of cooked and cooled oatmeal

Each of these smoothie recipes make one smoothie, so multiply these ingredients as needed to serve more people.

The smoothie on the right is a berry smoothie with two kinds of dried fruit, and the one on the left is an apple-peach smoothie!  The berry smoothie has a great berry flavor, while the apple-peach one is a milk flavor.  Both recipes follow.

(TWO) FREEZE DRIED FRUIT SMOOTHIES

PREP TIME:  8-10 minutes
COOK TIME:  0

BERRY SMOOTHIE INGREDIENTS

• 1 c. milk (either shelf-stable or rehydrated from powdered; see options here)
• 1/2 c. freeze-dried strawberry yogurt pieces (or choose blueberry or vanilla, if you prefer)
• 1/4 c. freeze-dried strawberries (I like this brand; also available here and here)
• 1/4 c. freeze-dried raspberries (I like this brand; also available here and here)
• 1 tsp. chia seeds, optional
• if desired, add a thickener such as protein powder, a small amount of cooked and cooled cream of wheat cereal, some mashed navy beans, tapioca, or a small amount of cooked and cooled oatmeal

BERRY SMOOTHIE DIRECTIONS

Stir together all the ingredients in a smoothie-maker cup.  Let stand 5 minutes to allow the freeze-dried ingredients a little rehydration time.  Process with the smoothie-maker until smooth.

APPLE-PEACH SMOOTHIE INGREDIENTS

• 1 c. milk (either shelf-stable or rehydrated from powdered; see options here)
• 1/2 c. freeze-dried Greek yogurt pieces (or choose vanilla, if you prefer)
• 1/4 c. dried apple slices (I like this brand for freeze-dried, or you can get dehydrated apple slices here and here--or to buy in bulk, get them here)
• 6 slices of peaches from a can
• 1 tsp. chia seeds, optional
• if desired, add a thickener such as protein powder, a small amount of cooked and cooled cream of wheat cereal, some mashed navy beans, tapioca, or a small amount of cooked and cooled oatmeal

APPLE-PEACH SMOOTHIE DIRECTIONS

Stir together all the ingredients in a smoothie-maker cup.  Let stand 5 minutes to allow the freeze-dried ingredients a little rehydration time.  Process with the smoothie-maker until smooth.

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.

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Sweet Corn Tomalito (microwave!)

Also called tamalito, tomalito is a tasty side dish made mostly of corn.  Think of a tamale without any filling served like a casserole.  Something like a corn bread pudding.  I love it as a side for any Mexican dish, such as the Meatless Mexican Haystacks I posted a while back.

With just one switch, this recipe is pantry-friendly, meaning all the ingredients store in your pantry.  That means this is a side dish you can make any time.

SWEET CORN TOMALITO

PREP TIME:  15 minutes
COOK TIME:  30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 c. masa harina (corn flour; no substitutions)
• 1 c. butter-flavor Crisco (original recipe:  1 c. butter, softened)
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 2  15-oz. cans of whole kernel corn, undrained
• 1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. powdered milk
• 2 tsp. water

DIRECTIONS

In a large mixer bowl, combine the masa harina, butter flavor Crisco, and sugar until light and fluffy.  In a food processor or blender, process the two cans of corn (undrained) and the cornbread mix (in two batches if needed) until smooth.  Add to the large mixer bowl and mix in.  Add the baking powder, salt, powdered milk, and water, then mix until well-combined.  Pour into a 2-liter casserole baking dish and cover with the lid.  Microwave at 30% power for 20 minutes.  Stir well.  Microwave an additional 7 minutes at full power.  Stir, then serve in small scoops.

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